Blue Glass Truth
by ButterflyEffect0.4
Summary: The sandman saved Ayumi s life, but nobody believes her -except for her friend Kagome, who has secrets of her own. She agrees to help Ayumi to find him, so she can thank him. However, they couldn t have chosen a worse time to do so.
1. Chapter 1

First fanfition, so please be nice. I don´t own Inuyasha or Rise of the Guardians. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and DreamworksPictures.

"Text" = speaking

_Text_ = thinking or

Chapter1: Sand

The paper-lanterns lighted the night a little and soft music played in the air. Thousends of different colored lanterns hung between and in front of the stands on the festival in the old shrine. People of all ages gathered between them and eyed the differnt snacks, masks and other mostly traditional, but sometimes also more modern items, that were offered.

Some young boys played tag between the visiters, nearly running over a group of four high school girls. Like everyone else they wore kimonos.

"Hey!" called one of them after the boys. "Watch it!" But then she shook her head and smiled. She had short, black hair and wore a green _kimono_ with white and yellow flowers and a yellow obi. Around her neck hung a beautiful, green metal flower. Her earthy brown eyes were shining as she smiled. "Oh, this had been a great idea."

"You´re right, Eri!" agreed the girl on her left, as they walked on. Her shoulder long, jet black hair was hold back by a white head band. It matched the also white obi of her red kimono, that had white sakura pentals falling from her shoulders. "Thanks for taking us, Kagome."

"Glad you like it." the raven haired girl known as Kagome said smiling. She wore a sky blue kimono and a turquiose obi with small stars in black, white and dark blue on black leather colar necklace, from which a small chain was connected to a purple marble, around her neck seemed a bit out of place, but no one said anything. "I thought it would be nice to do something together again. It sure had been a while, hasn´t it, Yuka?"

The jet black haired girl nodded. "Yes, it has."

"Are you sure, going out is good for you?" the last girl of the group asked. She wore a purple kimono with golden butterflies and a matching obi. Two hair clips keeped her shoulder long, dark brown hair from fallen in her face. "You were in the hospitel with an unknown sickness only three months ago."

"Excatly, three months ago." agreed Eri. "And since then she skyrocked to the captain of the kyudo-club of our school, made that super rare test for the senshi-miko titel, works in her family´s shrine and as maid at the café near Yuka´s place and is training Sota´s soccer team. I think she is going to be fine, Ayumi."

"Yeah, her sicknesses finally stopped three months ago." Yuka smiled. "And when her aunt called her shrine for help two weeks ago, she started training for tonight right away."

"Oh, that reminds me." said Kagome, looking at the clock. "Gotta go and get ready. The_ kagura _starts soon."

"I can´t wait!" said Ayumi. "I have never seen an taditional miko dance before!"

"Me neither." declaired Yuka and Eri added: "We´ll be cheering for you!"

Kagome laughed and ran off.

"I wonder..." said Eri and turned to the other two. "Does she really think, we believe in her so called **sicknesses**?"

"I´m not sure."admitted Ayumi. "But it is pretty clear that -from her fifthteen birthday till three months ago- there was something going on."

"Really now." Yuka shook her head. "Every month she was excatly three days at school. Half of the time was she hurt. And that InuYasha-guy was never really normal either."

"But we have to honor her choice." Eri reminded them. "She´ll tell us what́s up, when she´s ready."

The brunette nodded. "And time is up, we will help her. After all we´re friends."

"Yes, and with Eri as vice-captain of the kendo-club, Ayumi as best of the health care club and me as ace of the science club, we´ll be prepared for anything." Yuka smiled.

Ayumi looked around. "Were did Kiara go?"

"Kagome´s new, two-tailed cat?" Eri looked around also. "Shadowing Kagome, like always, I guess." She thougth. "I bet that cat is involed, too."

"The thing with patience ..."said Ayumi slowly, "... is it´s very concept."

"Yeah. Let´s go or we miss Kagome´s dance."

After the dance, Yuka went to pick up Kagome, who went chaning back in her normal _kimono_. Eri left to get some snacks for everyone and a fish for Kiara. And Ayumi tried to find their frie work spooting place, Kagome had shown them earlier in the forst behind the shrine, again. A small path leaded to it.

However, the girl was in deep thought. _Her eyes..._,she thought. _They had been sad turning the dance..._

Suddenly her foot slipped. Her eyes went wide. She was falling of a cliff. Ayumi screamed. The rocks below raced closer. She was going to die!

Golden sand shot below her. Catched her. Ayumi stared at it in shock. The sand carried her higher and sat her down on solid ground. Her jelly-like legs gave away under her.

The sand retreated and Ayumi´s eyes followed it to it´s master, who was sitting in a jet out the golden sand. It was a small men with a round face and standing up in five pits reminding of a star hair. His eyes had a warm, brown-golden color.

She grapsed. _T-the sandman!_ ,Ayumi thought. _The sandman just saved my life!_

But before she could overcome her shock and thank him, he had already disapeared in the sky. "Wait..."she wispered. But Ayumi knowed it was to late and he couldn´t hear her anymore.

"Ayumi!"called Eri and ran up from behind her. She had different snack bags in her hands. "What´s wrong? The place is a bit farther up."

"I´ll fell..." she mumbeled.

That got the other girl worried. "You fell? Are you hurt?"she asked. "You were lucky, you didn´t fell of that cliff."

"I did."the brunnete said and stood up. "He saved me."

"What?! You -?! Who saved you?!"

She smiled at her. "The sandman."

Eri blinked. Once, twice. Then she laughed. "The-!"she laughed hard."Oh, you really got me there! Haha! Sandman!"

"It was really him! I´m sure!"got Ayumi angry.

"Stop joking." Eri smiled. "Chese! Don´t scare me like that!"

"I´m not joking!"

"Yeah, right! The sandmen dosn´t exist." With that the older girl walked on. "It was a good joke, but -"

"It was no joke!"

So, that was the first chapter. I wanted to start out of the view of Kagome´s friends, since I haven´t seen it before. How did you like it? Please review. Updating soon.


	2. Chapter 2: Believe

The story goes on. Thanks for the review. I don´t own anything but the madness.

"Text" = talk

_text_ = thinking & book title

Chapter 2: Believe

Ayumi sat in the library frustrated. Her books were spread in front of her. Teen days had passed since the sandman had saved her. No one had believed her. Not Eri or her parents. And not even her five years old sister Karin. "Ayumi, the sandman dosn´t exist." - "You really should stop joking." - "Grow up." She was so sick of hearing it.

The girl opened the next book and tried to focus. She had a history test the next day. She admitted, it sounds strange. Especially when coming from a sixteen year old. But it was the truth! She didn´t made anything up! Plain, simply truth!

Kagome sat down across Ayumi rather loudly, making the later look up curiously. The raven haired girl took out her book and started studying it.

The bruenette relexed. Her friend may not believe her, but she also didn´t made fun of her. Actually, she became very quiet, everytime she spoke of it.

"You know.."Kagome said without looking at her. "You are stupid."

Ayumís head shot up. "What?"

"When you get in contact with the supernaturell, you keep it to yourself."she said. "Elseway people will start thinking you ́ll mad and call the doctors, if you don´t stop after some time. That, and it´s dangerous in this world."

"So what? Are you telling me, I´m mad."

Kagome´s blue eyes looked at her sharply."No. Did you even listen to me? I believe you." Her voice was quiet, but strong. "You are simply acting uncareful. I am warning you, Ayumi. That´s all."

Ayumi stared at her. "You believe me?"

"Yes." the other girl smiled in understanding. "I´ve seen to much, to not to." The brunette was so happy, she didn´t notice, that behind her friend´s happyness something else shadowed her eyes.

She nearly cried, but smiled. "You believe me..." She took a deep breath to steady herself. Suddenly the last days seemed less treatfull. "Thank you."

"You´re welcome." the raven haired girl nodded and went back to her book. "So be more careful from now on. Uff, nazis ... Sure hope, I never land there." She ignored her friend´s questioning glace and went on learning for the test.

A month later, Kagome just finished the last training session of her soccer team befoe the big winter break. Ayumi stode on the side of the soccer field and waited for her.

"Okay, boys. That´s it for this year." Kagome called them together. "Go and get changed. I´ll give out dinner at Kazuki´s today." The boys retreated under loud cheering into the changing rooms of their school. Meanwhile, the miko walked over to her friend, joined by Kiara. "Hey, Ayumi." she smiled. "What are you doing here? Not that I mind. But don´t you hate soccer?"

"Hey." the brunette greeted back, chosing to ignore the other girl´s comment. "I ..well, have a question..." She looked at the floor.

Kiara jumped at her mistress´ shoulder. "What about?"the later asked.

"Well... you know about the supernaturell, don´t you?" she started nervously, still not looking her in the eye.

"That is true, but you already know that."she anwered confussed. "Do you have a question about it? Come on, no need to be nervous. You know, I won´t bite your head off."

Ayumi nodded. "How did you find out about it?" she asked steady.

Kagome`s whole body froze. Her aura changed dramaticly. "Don´t ever go there." she said in a monotone voice. Her eyes were hidden under her hair. "I am neither willend nor can I talk about it."

The brunette took a step back. "Sorry."

The other shook her head and forced herself to brighten up. "It´s all right." she smiled. "It´s really not your fault. I understand why you want to know. But our first meetings with that world were ...really different. Just don´t ever ask about it again, ́kay? And now, ask your real question."

She turned beet-red and look away. "There is no other question ..."

"Lie. Since the sandman saved you, you are totally beside yourself. So ask."

"I..." Ayumi bite her tongue and became quiet.

The miko scrated her cat´s ears thoughtfully. "Did anything else happen?"

"No!"she shouted, creating a new color of red.

Kagome´s eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms. "So what then?" she asked.

"I... wasn´t able to thank him."she wispered.

"That´s what´s up?" the miko asked suprised. "You are beside yourself for over a month because you couldn´t thank him? Oh my..."

"I know, it´s childish, but.." Ayumi mumbled and looked away again.

"Well, then there is only one thing we can do." Kagome declaired. "We are going to hunt the sandman down, so you can thank him."

"Are you mad?!"

"Not at all. It́s going to help you and your friend and winter break starts tomarrow. So I´m just fine with it."

"I know, you mean it good, but think this through. I mean, won´t the sandman be like super busy. We would only annoy him. And besides that: How do you want to find him? I bet there had been thousands to search him. They didn´t find him."

"Sure he´s busy. A dream for every last being on earth every night, there is no way, he isn´t. But I´m also sure no one ever really thanked him, since it´s just what´s expected of him. A `thank-you` dosn´t take that much time and would make him undoubly very happy, don´t you agree? And about the `finding` -leave that to Kiara and me."

Ayumi thought about it, then smiled. "That´s great ...I think."

"It is!" Kagome smiled and looked at the returning boys of her team. "I´ll call you later to tell you what you need to pack and give you a cover-up story."

"Okay, bye." she turned to leave.

"Till later! Be carefull or Jack Frost is going to nip your nose." the girl called after her.

"Huh? You think it´s going to snow?" the brunette was taken apart for a second. "Alright, I´ll be carefull." With that she ran off.

"Who is Jack Frost?" one of the boys asked Sota.

"The incarnation of winter in the western mythologie." he answered. "Onésan is really into that legend, already like forever."

"Really, Couch?" asked a second boy.

"Yes. Why?" she asked smiling. "A problem with that?"-"No."-"Good. Let´s go!"

The next day, Ayumi´s parents brought her to the Higurashi -shrine. It had actually snowed that night, so that Tokyo laid through under a white cover.

"It is very nice of you to take our daugther with you on the trip to Paris." her mother said to Kagome, who had been waiting on the top of the stairs. "I´m glad she is allowed." she said immededly. "I myself was suprised to win those all-inclusive tickets." They talked for a while, before the two adults bid their farewell -they had to go to work. As soon they were out of shight, Ayumi turned to Kagome and asked: "Why was I supposed to pack summer **and **winter chlothes?"

"Well, this is a big world. We don´t know, where the sandman lives." she explained and leaded the trio inside. "Could be hawaii, could be the antarctic. We have to be prepared for everything."- "I don´t believe that I have warm enough chlothes for the antarctic." - "We have Kiara, don´t worry." she smiled and closed the door. "First thing to do, though: Kiara, please."

Kiara jumped off her shoulder onto the floor and burst into flames. Ayumi jumped back against the wall. Under the flames a bigger version of Kiara became visible. Only that this version had very long fangs and blood red eyes with blue pupils. And her paws were aflame.

"This is Kiara´s true form." Kagome said as if it was the most normal thing of the world. "We thought you should know, since we are going to travel together."

"Um... yeah..." The high school girl tried her best to keep her marbles -and from inching away from the monster-cat. Why had that cat -? How did Kagome get-?

"Hm.. She is taking it suprising well..." the miko said thoughtful and turned to her cat and friend. "I guess a thousend years old, flying hinekoyoukai that rebelled her own kind to join the youkai taijin and is in the timetravel buisness isn´t all that scary after all." Kiara gave a deep chuckle.

Ayumi feinted. Kagome could bearly catch her, before she would have hit the ground. In that moment her grandfather came out of the living room. He stopped and looked at the three females. "You overdid it, didn´t you?" he stated more than anything else. "Well, better now, than when your at Kiara´s back up in the air. Come, let́s carry her to the couch."

The raven haired girl nodded, and the youkai took Ayumi´s legs carefully in her mouth to help her to carry the girl into the living room, where they placed her on the couch. "She feinted?" Souta asked. He sat on the dinner table, three books in front of him: _Sandmen-Myth anad Facts_, _Fairies and Co.-the world of magical creatures_ and _atlas_. He was just putting them into a waterproof bag. "I thougzh they only do that in movies."

"Souta, stop being mean." his sister scolded at him, as their grandfather covered Ayumi with a blanket and Kiara tranformed back, because it was simplier easier and more comfortable in her small form when indoors. "It is a lot to take in." -"But for you it wasn´t." -"I was born with the Shikon no Tama in my body. My subconscious always had known, there were youkai." she gave back, but he shook his head. "She had no problem accepting the existence of the sandman, but Kiara..."

"That´s true." Kagome nodded. She walked up beside him and looked at the books. "However, accorting to those books, only a person that truly believes in them can see the sandman and his kind. So Ayumi must have already believed in him before." Sota looked at the books as well. "Would have anyone told me this kind of thing two months ago, I would have laughed." he admitted in a whisper. "But now it really seems foolish." She smiled. "Don´t be so hard on yourself. Believe can be as fragile as glass, but also take just as much time and care to form. If you wouldn´t have believed, you would have just declaired us mad."

"Kagome." their mother called from the kitchen. "Are you sure, you don´t want to take more supplies with you?"-"Yes, okásan." Kagome answered. "In this era, we´ll have the possiblity to go to the supermarket. We may even get a room in a hotel once or twice. A nice change." Her mother came in with the bag of food and drinks. "Okay, I think, we got everything." the girl looked at the table. "Chlothes to change, supplies, two sleeping bags, a tent, first-aid-kit, books for back-up information, compass and my bank card."

"You forget your bow and arrows." her grandfather said and handed them to her.

"Oh, thank you. You never know, after all. It´s a big, big world out there." Kagome smiled, then realized something and raced up the stairs. "I forgot my book!"

"Okay, what is it about that book anyway?" Souta asked his mother. "She even took it with her through the well."-"I suppose it´s her personal version of a lucky charm."she smiled, not realizing, that the old man behind her smiled broadly. "I´m going to get her a lucky charm of our shrine for on the way!" he said. "And some suntras! And some hairs of a tengu for luck!" Souta laughed. "At least the boring times are over."

Kiara watched her human family for a moment, then turned to look at Ayumi. _I hope she gets over her shock before nightfall._,she thought. _We have to travel with the night._

With that everything starts... A bit longer than I thought, but alright. Hope you liked it!


	3. Chapter 3: A big, big world

Hallo everyone. I´m back. But before I start the next chapter, there had been a question to Kagome´s necklace, most likely due to a vocabulary mistake. I apolpgize for that. Kagome will now explain it closer.

"Kon´nichi wa." Kagome says. "Well, my necklace looks like a cat collar that lies on my neck like a second skin, except that instead of a bell, the Shikon no Tama is attached to it. The collar is made of youkai leather, which is black. The necklace serves Shikon´s protection and I wear it therefore all the time. Being from a time youkai, the leather is painfull to touch, if you´re not a time traveler or time youkai. It opens only to my ki and is so close to my neck, that an enemy will have problem stealing it, even when I run on instinct. Sango and Sess-"

Okay, that´s enough, Kagome. Your history is not to be revealed until a later chapter, since we follow the story mostly through Ayumís POV and she knows nothing of your past. In any case, I don´t own InuYasha or Rise of the Guardians. Here is the third chapter. Enjoy!

"Text" = talk

_text_ =thinking or titles

After the gigant face also counts: "Text"=english, "**Text**"=japanese

Chapter 3: A big, big world

"Ayumi, wake up." a voice ran through the darkness. "Wake up." Ayumi knew that voice. But she couldn´t place it, no matter how much she tried. "Well, I guess we have to wait 'til tomarrow evening. She doesn´t seem to be waking up anytime soon." -"Meow." She was somewhere warm. Compfy and warm. "No, it wasn´t your fault -well, okay, it kinda was, but -!" -"Meow-ow..." -"Alright, I'll stop." That voice was really familiar. "Well, the sandman has to wait 'til tomarrow, then."

She shot upright. "The sandman?"

Kagome and Kiara blinked at her. "Meow meow." Kiara said slowly to the raven haired girl on her side, who nodded just as slowly, before she shook her head and smiled. "Are you alright?"

Ayumi looked around disoriented. "Why am I on the couch?" she asked. The whole Higurashi family was in the living room and watching her. "Why is everyone here?"

"You fainted." Kagome reminded her softly. She sat beside her on the couch and watched her warily, as if she expected Ayumi to faint again. "After you saw Kiara transform."

As if someone turned a switch on, the happenings of the last day came racing back to her. "Oh." Ayumi looked at Kiara, who sat on the couch arm in her normal form. They stared at each other for a few minutes, neither daring to move. "Sorry." the girl said shyly and gave her best to smile. "I guess I overreacted a little." The cat shrugged. "Meow meow."

"Do you want some time to ajust to the info?" Kagome asked. Her friend looked at her confused. "What about the sandman?" she asked back. "Don´t we have to start searching?" -"Yes, but we can wait a day, if you want." -"No." Ayumi jumped to her feet. "Let́s go."

The other two smiled. "Okay." the raven haired said and handed her her backpack, before putting her blue jacket and her trusty, yellow backpack on. Kiara was already waiting at the door and the rest of the Higurashi family bid their goodbyes. The old priest also gave each of them a lucky charm from the shrine and his granddaughter a small belt bag with about twenty to thirty suntras.

The neko youkai transformed outside and Kagome sat down on her back. Ayumi hesitated a moment, before sitting down behind her. She screamed, as they took off into the clouds, but after a while she had only one opinion about it. "This is so cool."

While she enjoyed the view, Kagome leaned closer to the cat´s ear. "Remember. We must stay hidden. I suck at barriers, so I can´t help you." Kiara nodded and kept her eyes on the ground.

"Okay, Ayumi." the miko told her friend. "We are looking for flying, golden sand. As soon as people fall asleep, the sandman will use that sand to send them dreams. Since he can´t be everywhere at once, they should all come out of the same direction. So, keep your eyes open. ́Kay?" The other one nodded.

They had to wait till sunset, before the first sand appeared. Kiara took off immediatly. As it became darker, the sand became less. They raced out of the air zone over Tokyo, all over half of Japan 'til beyond the west coast. Over the sea, however, it stopped.

"I guess, the most people in Japan are asleep now." Kagome conclused and took out the _atlas_ and the compass. "The rest would be working and going to bed in a few hours."

"What are we going to do now?" Ayumi asked afraid. They were over the open sea in the middle of the night. Black sky, even darker water. Only the moon gave some light. A cold wind blew.

Kagome smiled reinsured. "We´ll be flying on to China. One of the temples in a rural area should be willing to give us shelter. You call your mother and tell her, we arrvied in Paris. We continue searching at sunset, so we should sleep turning the day." she said. "A bit more to the left, Kiara."

The next night followed the same rule. They chased the sand to Russia. But this time when the flow stopped, they couldn´t find a village. So against Ayumi´s protest, they camped in the middle of nowhere. "What kind of ramen do you like?" Kagome asked her, taking the bowls out. The brunette took her jacket off. "How come it´s so warm in the tent?" she asked. "It´s snowing outside." Kiara just smiled.

It took them a full night to follow the sand through Russia. Ayumi falled asleep on Kiara´s back. Kagome stared at her. "Kiara ..." Kagome called her weapon-sister unsure. "There is a sand-heart above Ayumís head." Kiara tried to turn herself, so she could see. "Meow memeow?"

The thirth day they stayed awake half of the day. They were in Paris. Thinking about their alibi, they couldn´t miss making photos and sending Ayumís parents a post card. They a lot of fun sightseeing before settling in a middle class hotel to sleep a bit before continuing their journey.

"Are you sure, this is good." whispered Ayumi, as they walked over the railing of a cruise ship. "This place looks expensive." Kagome smiled. "Sure does. This is our chance to try some very delicious food." -"Kagome!" -"Serious. Who should notice us? And where else should we have landed in the middle of the Atlantic?"

The followed night was misty. A gigant face appeared out of no where. Kiara growled surprised, the two girls blinked. "The Statue of Liberity." said Ayumi. "Finaly, land." -"New York?" Kagome smiled. "Good. Suns up in two hours. Let´s find a hotel for the day."

Meanwhile the sandman had other problems. His sand landed him soundlessly on the top of a snowy roof. Carefully not to be seen -because they could-, he peered over the small wall to the window one story below on the opposite building.

Despite the cold, the window was open. Inside two girls talked, though he couldn´t understand more than "bed", "purchase" and "parents". The one girl, that with raven hair, just put a bow away, that was as long, if not longer, than she herself. She wore black jeans and a ocean blue pollover, as well a black collar necklace. The other, the brunette girl, he remembered meeting more than two months ago, and having saved her life. She wore a blue jeans and a soft brown top. A two-tailed, yellow cat sat besides them on the table.

He didn´t understand it. Of course it was nice when sixteen years old girls still believe in him. It was really no problem and surely not the reason he was up there on the roof. He had no problem with believers. He had problems with paranoia, which, actually, was hard for beings like him to get, seeing as how few could see such fantastic beings at all and were then able to follow them too. He didn´t had that problem for all his eight hundert years. Now he had. And the bad part was, that it was no complex. But it was those girls and their cat. They had been chasing his dream sand for the past week. He didn´t have the slightest idea, why! They just followed him across half of the world. The sandman had no idea what to think of that either.

"Hallo, Sandi." The voice made him jump and gave him nearly a heart attack. He turned around angrily to face the owner of the voice.

There stood Bunnymund and looked at him confused. "What is it with you?" he asked. "Having a bad day?"

Sandi pulled him down and symbolised him to be quiet. "Why should I?" he complained. With a quick set of sand pictures, Sandi explained his situation.

"They followed you across half of the world?" Bunnymund asked his friend and peered over the wall to the girls. The cat was now at the window and the brunette made a call on her mobile phone, while the raven haired made some notes in a small book and looked at different maps in an _atlas._ "This is bad." the bunny said. "One of them has a weapon. Bad, real bad." His fingers itched towards his bummerrang.

"Are you stalking girls now?"

Bunnymund throwed his weapon at the voice startled. The white haired boy blocked it with his staff, just as suprised. He wore a blue hoody. "Hey! What was that for?!" he shouted at the bunny. The later´s surprise immediatly turned into anger. "The better question is: What are you doing here?!" he shot back. "You are getting on my last nerve!"

"What nerve?!" Jack growled. "You throwed a bummerrang at me! Have you lost it now completely?" The two stood face to face, glaring at each other. Dream sand pulled them to the ground. Sandi glared at both and put a finger on his lips, before peering over the wall.

The raven haired girl stood on the window and looked around searching. "**Kagome, what is it?**" asked the brunette from inside the room. Kagome hesitated to turn to her. "I thought I heard something." she said and the three on the roof paled. "This is a big city." her friend explained. "Surely came from the street." The two girls returned to study the _atlas_ on the table with the cat.

Sandi and Bunnymund relaxed, while Jack leaned over the wall curious. "She could hear us? Does that mean she believes in us?"

Bunnymund pulled him back behind the wall. "Yes, they do." he growled in a whispered voice. "And exactly that is the problem!"

The boy turned to him. "Okay... why are you stalking them?"he asked.

"We arn´t stalking them!" he said angry. "They are hunting Sandi."

"Sandi?!" Shocked Jack looked at the sandman, who was just as suprised by the idea. Skeptical he drawed some sand picture to ask the bunny, if he was really thinking so. "Of course, I am." he ensured.

"You've lost it."Jack said and stood up. "Why would they hunt Sandi?"

"Out of the same reason there are people hunting Yetis." He rolled his eyes. "To use the corpse as proof that he´s true!"

Sandi maded a coffee cup picture over his head. The boy laughed, but the bunny scolded. "Fine." he said. "It́s not like I have nothing to do anyway. I have to make sure I´ll have enough eggs for easter. Good day!" He turned around and, trying to hide his natural hops, skipped away with dignity. The other two exchanged a glance.

None of them nor the girls in the room noticed the black sand, that came out of a sewer on the street between the two buildings.

That´s it for now. I finally got Jack in. And just to clear that: I have nothing against Bunnymund. He just saw to many Yetis having these kind of problems. Please don´t hit me. If there are any question, please ask.


	4. Chapter 4: Darkness

Thanks for the reviews. I dońt own Rise of the Guardians or InuYasha.

"Text" = talking english

"**Text**" = talking japanese

_text = _thinking english and book titles

_**text **_ = thinking japanese

Chapter 4: Darkness

As Kiara and Ayumi eat breakfast -or more dinner to them-, Kagome sat by the now closed window and starred at her necklace in her hand and at the gem, that was attached to it, warily._**Something is taining Shikon...**_ It was weak. At the moment. With her so close, the youkai gem was still pure. But she could fell it -a dark aura that crossed with the with her aura melted, and because of that neutralized, aura of Shikon. She could feel gem´s slight nervosity echoing through her body. Still, she was unsure. Did the dark aura try to reach out to it or were the spirits of the Shikon no Tama affected, without the knowing of the aura´s owner. _In any case, we have to get out of here._ ,she decided and put the necklace back on. "Finish up." she told her friends. "We have to leave."

They were surprised. "Why?" Ayumi asked confused. "I thought we would continue searching at nightfall and stay here up to then. Like always. So we don´t break down together due to tiredness."

Kagome shook her head. "Kiara and I can stay awake for two days without problem. You can sleep on her back, if you need to. I'll watch out, so you won´t fall down." she rushed on. "You can take the sleeping bag out, if you like. Kiara can warm it for you?"

Kiara nodded, but looked very confused. "Mew mew meow?" The miko didn´t answer. She took her bankcard out and went to the door. "Kagome, what is going on?" the brunette shouted at her. "You are acting strange!"

She stopped in the open door and looked back at them. Her eyes were unreadable. "You have to trust me now." she said in a warning voice. "I´m not senshi-miko, because I´m powerless. I have a bad feeling. Something evil is around. We should get out, before it bites."

Kiara immedialy looked at the Shikon no Tama, but Ayumi was still confused. She didn´t know the signs, therefor she couldn´t look for them. Kagome prayed to the sensou kami Hachiman, who was also the guardian of the japanese, that it would stay that way. _**Please, don´t let it be a Shikon-seeker. **__,_she thought and went to check out. _**I don´t want Ayumi thrown in a war. And I can´t fight this era to protect Shikon. **_

Shikon gave an unsteady pulse from it´s aura, somewhere between comforting and fear. It didn´t help it́s guardian. She checked out, even throgh the hotel clerk protested, till she gave him a glance, Sesshumaru would be proud of. Kagome was in a bad moon. She wasn´t someone, who would run away, when people were in possible danger. To her, a normal reaction was finding the dark aura and kicking ass. But she had learned to not risk things, when it came to the Shikon no Tama. She had seen what happens, when she was negligent with the gem. _And I have to take care of Ayumi._ ,she thought and made her way back to their room.

A scream. Her eyes wided. Without thinking she turned and ran towards it. There were more screams. _Children! Those are children´s screams!_

Outside the door she was meet with black sand. Instinctivly she purified it. Behind it a woman and crying child became visible. The whole street was full of black sand. It climbed up the buildings and took on the form of nightmares, or monsters in other places. Children screamed all over the place. "What is wrong with you, Carl?" the mother beside Kagome asked. "Stop making a scene!"

_She can´t see it!_, the miko realised. One of the nightmares raced towards a baby. _Those things are after the children!_ "Get out of here!",she told the boy and ran towards the demonic horse, that attacked the baby. She purified it with her bare hands. The mother looked at her strangly and took a step back, but Kagome ignored her and raced on to the next sand-creature.

Golden sand shot past her and saved a girl across the street from the black sand. A man that fit Ayumi´s description of the sandman landed in the middle of the street and spread his shining sand around him to fight the black monsters. Farther down the street ice overfroze a group of monsters. Kagome could make out a flying boy with a blue hoody, before a scream made her turn back to the fight.

The dark sand seemed to take no end. From time to time one of the creatures had a crying child inside them. But most of the time one of the three fighters could get to them, before they got the children. The sand attacked an empty taxi. Now the people were running, making it even harder to save the children, since half of the parents were running towards the, for them, invisible monsters.

Kagome heard a growl and looked up from having just purified a black sand spider, while a golden sand horse attacked his black sibling behind her. Kiara looked down from above her head, the miko´s bow and quierer in her mouth. Ayumi cowered fearfully on her back. "What are you doing?" the senshi-miko shouted at the nekoyoukai. "Get Ayumi out!"

Suddenly Kagome was swept of her feet and into the air. The white-haired ice master spun around with the shocked girl in his left arm and swung his staff at the sand dragon, he had just saved her from, with the other hand. An ice ray shot out of the glowing staff and froze the monster. "Everything okay?" he asked Kagome.

A giant raven raced at them from behind. The raven-haired girl raised her hand and purified it, in response. "Yes, thank-you." she replied. Kiara flew on one level with them and gave her her weapons. The two exchanged a quick nod, before she told the boy with a glace, that she was ready to continue.

Suddenly it became dark. Ayumi screamed, as did several children. "The sky!" Kagome whispered shocked. The black sand had build a dome, shuting out all light. "Pitch is blocking all escape roads." the boy put in and flew towards the sandman, Kiara close behind him. He froze a stampede of nightmares coming from the left, while the girl in his arm shot an arrow and cleared the way ahead. Formless sand attacked Kiara and Ayumi. She screamed, while the youkai punched at it, growling. But the sand caught her and pulled her in.

"Kiara!" Kagome shouted and dodged an arrow, as the boy turned and flew back, his staff glowing. A bummerang cut through the sand and freed Kiara and a boy, who was caught by a humanoid bunny. Together they faught their way to the sandman. Landing in an area of golden sand, Kiara threw Ayumi off, so she could return to the fight without her. The two men, the bunny, the miko and the neko stood in a circle around a group of children and Ayumi, who were frightfully holding on to each other. They tried their best to keep them safe, destroying the black sand.

A car flew over their heads and grazed a building, before landing on its tires before them. The door opened and a man stepped out. The reaping sand stilled.

Kagome warily looked over her shoulder, so she could see while not leaving her position. The sandman and the bunny were facing him. He wore black clothes, she couldn´t make out completely, because it was so dark. It matched his hair and eyes. His skin was gray.

"Pitch!" the white haired boy growled. The man smiled. "Well, isn´t this a nice welcome back party." he said. "How sweet of you to come, Guardians." Slowly he came closer. "Hallo, Sandman, Easter Bunny, Jack Frost. How have you been?"

The three glew at him. The sandman gathered more of his sand around their group, carefully shielding the kids and Ayumi. They were shaking and whimpering. Jack Frost tighted his hold on his staff. "How come you´re still around?!" the easter bunny growled. "And why are you trying to kidnap these children?!"

_He is controlling the black sand?_ Kagome took in the information. The pain transmitted by the Shikon no Tama got worse. She had problem to keep the gem pure and could feel it´s miasma rise below the scar on her side, where it had resided up to her fifteenth birthday. _That guy doesn´t even know Shikon is here and he´s giving me more trouble than Naraku. Dammit. Who is he?_

A flash of anger chased over his face, then he smiled again. "You are reffering to our last meeting, last easter, aren´t you?" he said slowly. "Yes, I remember... It seems I could recover faster this time. I told you, you can´t kill fear. Also, I ensure you, Ím stronger this time. And what I want the children for -now, that you would like to know, won´t you?"

"Stop fooling around!" Jack shouted and sent a giant windball at him. But Pitch simply reapeared a bit more to the right, in front of Jack and the sandman. "Oh, I´m not fooling around, Jack, my old friend." he said. "It´s just that I never saw use in sharing my plans with corpses."

"What?" Ayumi whispered. The golden sand around her and the children mixed with black. The man smiled at her. "Do you actually think they can protect you? That they can win? You will be caged in darkness for all time. Knowing you and these children are the reason your precious Guardians are dead."

"Shut up!" Kagome shouted and let her arrow fly. The Shikon no Tama turned black. It´s miasma sky-rocketed. She fell, her eyes wide. Jack caught her.

The blue light of her arrow envoloped the sand dome and most of the creatures, purifing them in the prozess. Pitch saved himself in the shadow of a building. He starred at the girl shocked.

Jack noticed him and pulled her closer to him, while holding his staff in front of them, sending a clear message. Kagome sat up a bit more, but she tasted blood in her mouth. Kiara stood beside them growling. The easter bunny and the sandman stepped closer, but didn´t leave their position completly for the children´s sake.

Pitch ignored them. The street was empty. Cars, handbags, and the whole chaos were left behind all over the street. The tension laid thick in the air. The dark man smiled and dissapeared in the shadows.

The group waited a few moments, before letting out a sigh. The sandman went to calm the crying children down with sweeter visions, while Ayumi pushed the easter bunny out of the way to get to her friend. "Kagome!"

Said girl told Kiara with a glance about the tainted gem and moved away from Jack to sit up without help. "Are you hurt?" she asked the brunette, while the easter bunny scolded at her back.

"What?" She kneeled beside her. "N-no. I´m fine." she said. Her scared eyes fixed on a drop of blood coming out of the corner of the miko´s mouth. "But you are!"

"Hurt? No." Kagome said and felt with her hand for the Shikon no Tama. _It´s spreading fast. Normaly it́s a simple act to melt and neutralize my and Shikon´s auras to hide them, but now my ki can´t balance their miasma anymore. Strange. That arrow shouldn´t have been powerfull enough to weaken me that much. What is going on?_

"What´s wrong?" Jack asked worried. "You are getting rather pale there." Kagome looked up at his icy blue eyes and tried to say something, but her throat hurt and she shook her head.

Kiara landed with the girls´ packs beside them, making Ayumi, who hadn´t noticed that she had left, jump. She transformed in her smaller form and took out the first-aid kit. She brought it Kagome, who nodded her thanks to the worried cat and took a small green bag out of the kit. Inside it were herb dumplings. While she ate one, her body started to glow in a soft blue. The gem around her neck returned to a warm purple color. "Ahh... this is better." She looked up at the confused faces around her. "Chikara no miko, a rare herb mikos use. It heals our kind within seconds and restores our power."

"So you are okay again?" Ayumi asked, which was answered by a nod and a smile. Kagome turned to Jack. "Are the children okay?"

Jack looked behind him, where the sandman used sand clouds to send the now sleepily smiling kids home. "I would say so." he smiled, then became serious. "We have to get to North´s as fast as possible to activate the alarm."

"You´re not telling me, you want to take them with us?" the easter bunny complained.

The boy looked at him strangly. "Of course, why not?" The sandman was just as cofused.

"Because they were hunting Sandi!" he growled. "Or did you forgot that, Frostbite?!"

The sandman sighed and Kagome asked: "Is your name Sandi?" He nodded. "My name is Kagome Higurashi and this are Ayumi Aborai and Kiara. Well, it is true." she explained. "We were looking for you."

"Ha! I knew it!" Bunnymund said. "Let´s get away from these crazy women before they snap."

She ignored him. "But I ensure you, we never meaned any harm."

Jack smirked at the bunny. "See? Told you."

"Ayumi just wanted to talk to you." she finished and pointed at the brunette. Ayumi went bright red. All eyes were on her. Sandi turned to her with a questioning eyes. "Uhm... I..." she started, then bowed quickly. "Arigato for saving my life!"

Bunnymund´s mouth fell open. Jack blinked. Kiara and Kagome smiled. The girl didn´t dare to look up. Her heart pounded in her ears, as she waited. The hands on her shoulder nearly made her flinch. Warily the girl looked up at the sandman´s face. He smiled at her, his eyes were shining. She smiled.

"Are you kidding me?!" the easter bunny shouted. "You stalked Sandi around the world just to thank him?!"

"Sure looks so." Jack said shrugged. Then his smile faded. "I hate to interrupt, but we have to give alarm."

Kagome nodded. She and Ayumi put their packs on and climbed at Kiara´s back. "Let́s make a run for it before any rescue squads or the police show up." Kagome said, and in response to her friend´s shocked face, added: "That́s something we have to be aware of. Our friends here were invisible to the humans who were here before, but they saw a mad woman, who shot arrows into thin air, and a scared girl, who had been kidnaped by a monster cat. Let´s hope it doesn´t make the news, but we can never return to NewYork."

They took off in the sky. Bunnymund was not happy about having to fly with Sandi, but with Pitch around, it was safer to stay together. Realizing he didn´t like heights, Kagome turned to him. "Who is this Pitch anyways?" she asked for more than one reason.

"The boogey man." he said shortly.

Hope you enjoyed. Please review.


	5. Chapter 5: Light

Wow, thanks for the reviews. I dońt own InuYasha or Rise of the Guardian. Still, I hope you like the story.

Chapter 5: Light

The Guardians and their three guest waited around the big globe of Faith. Up to now, none of it´s lights had ever went out, meaning Pitch wasn´t last member of the Guardians, the tooth fairy, was still missing, as how Santa Claus, who went by North, had only activated the alarm upon the arrival of the small group around Jack ten minutes ago.

Jack looked around. The mood was depressive. North was still in slighly shock over the news of Pitch´s return, still he tried to be a good host and offered cookies and milk. Bunnymund took one cookie without starting a fight with the with bearded man as usuall and returned to study the globe. Beside him Sandi explained the globe with sand pictures to Ayumi, who, afer everyone had introduced themselves, had an endless wave of proofing questions. At least the fasinated girl keeped making the master of good dreams smile. Her friends Kagome and Kiara were another story. The raven haired girl had settled on the couch in the corner of the room and was in deep thought. Sitting on her lap, her puzzeling cat studied her and everyone else in the room one after another.

When she noticed Jack watching them, Kiara locked eyes with him. He raised a brow, but she continued. Shaking his head, he raised his glance to her mitress. On the way here, Kagome had asked holes into them about Pitch. In return she hadn´t told them more than her name and that she is a miko. For the others that was enough, seeing as Ayumi told them about their origin and everything, but was no explanation for the winter incarnation. First of all, it didn´t explained why Pitch fled after seeing her, when you look at how weak she had been after that attack. Or her strange medicine or the color-changing gem. And at least why her cat could transform. Not even why a shinto priestess would believe in western myths. Not that he minded the latter, but he was curious. Her face was unreadable at the moment, but her fingers lingered constantly on her necklace and her bow. He wasn´t sure, if she was aware of it, but it was unnerving.

A elf ran past her. She looked up with such a child-like fasination in her eyes, Jack couldn´t help but laugh. Hearing him, she immediatly glazed at him. He smirked back and Kagome looked away, putting on a supposedly emotionless face. It didńt work due to her massive blush and the slight pinch of her lips, which made him only grin wider. The cat on her lap held her breath. Bunnymund glazed at them annoyed.

"I hope, I am not late." A beautiful woman half colibri, half human came flying in the room. She stopped in front of Nord and Bunnymund. "What happened?" she asked and scanned the globe for gone out lights.

"Don´t worry, Tooth." North said and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sandi, Jack, Bunnymund and our new friends here were able to block the first attack." She looked at him confused. "New friends, Nord?" He nodded. "This is Ayumi Atama, the miko Kagome Higurashi, and Kiara." He pointed at each in turn. Ayumi gave a slight bow, while the other two gave a respectful nod.

"**Are you really the tooth fairy?**"Ayumi asked and Sandi created, smiling, a sand picture of a mini-Sandi talking to a mini-Ayumi. Ayumi smiled nervos. "**Yeah, you did...**"she agreed and looked back at the fairy, who smiled. "**Hai.**"she said. "**Watashi wa Tooth.**" Then she turned back to her friends. On her request they gave her a quick fill in on the recent happings.

She was shocked. "That can´t be." Tooth said. "We just defeated Pitch last Easter. Not even a year ago. How could he recover that fast? When we defeated him 1510, he needed five hundred years to get back to strength. Even when we won against him 1460, he needed ten years to come somewhat back to strength."

Kagome sat up higher. Jack could swear, he saw shock in her eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Not, that he didn´t understand. This all wasn´t a good sign.

"You can image, how he loved to rub that fact in our faces." Bunnymund agreed. "I could hit something when I think of his smile. He has gotten even stronger than before -nearly like in 1510." He looked at the globe. "Just what does he want with the children?!"

Kiara meowed to Kagome, whose eyes darkened. "What did she say?" Jack asked, gaining the attention of everyone. The miko look at him starteled, before she said hesitantly, "He couldn´t kidnap the children. So won´t he try it again. He needs them for something. Otherwise he would have abandoned them, when you showed up."

"That is true." North nodded slowly. "But what does he want them for? Last time he stole the teeth, which is bad enough. But children..."

"It is a life insurance." Jack said. He had thought about that question on the way here. "Our strength is bound to the number of people that believe in us. If there is nobody that believes, we disapear. The same goes for Pitch."

"So you are saying, he is really planning to catch the children in darkness?"Kagome asked. "Well, it makes sense." Ayumi looked at her confused. "He did say that, but what has that to do with faith?" -"Everything."she said. "Faith is fragile, and fear kills faith. It eats up the soul, till nothings left. Imagine a glass figure facing a sledgehammer, Ayumi."

Tooth nodded. "Especially with a child. He would gather enough strength to start a new dark age." she said, and Nord added: "At the same time we would weaken so much, we won´t even have a chance fighting him. The dark age would never stop."

"Well, can´t you all talk big." Bunnymund said. "But the thing is: Where do we start? Pitch won´t wait two weeks for Christmas. He doesn´t need to. He will attack much sooner and we do not have the slightest idea, where!" Silence followed his words.

"Uhm.." Ayumi started. "Wouldn´t th-that mean, we have to wait till some kids give up their faith due to Pitch, so you could determine his location by dark lights?" North nodded sad. "I´m afraid this is our only option." he said and turned to the globe. "We have to wait for him to get active. But we dońt have to risk the children. After we last fought the boogie man, I invented a radar, that is able to find him, as soon as he starts an attack."

Jack shook his head. It was still too big of a risk, even when Nord was right. He looked over to Kagome, to see her opion, only to see, she wasńt there. Suprised he looked through the room. No Kagome. Her cat and her back pack was also gone. "North, have you seen Kagome?"he asked, directing his question on everyone, not just North.

They looked up in confusion. Soon everyone was searching for the girl and her cat. Ayumi was close to tears. "One of the Yetis saw her." North reported, when he joined up with her, Sandi, Jack and Tooth. "She flew on Kiara out of the sled-exit."

Jack couldńt believe it. A girl that was ready to help her friend to hunt down Sandi across the world, should just abandon that friend, while someone may be after their life? _No. She would never do that._ He thought, after a glance at Ayumi, and called the wind to him. _Something is wrong!_ "I´ll go after her."

North looked up. "We'll stay here, in case Pitch attacks."he nodded grimly. "Good luck." Bunnymund just met up with them, as Jack flew past him and the Yetis towards the sled-exit. Outside he stopped. _Think, Jack. Where is she heading?_ He had no idea which direction he had to go and near to no information that could help him to track her down. _All I know is that shés a miko, has a strange cat and does strange things for her friends._ He shook his head._ This isńt helping. How am I supposed to find her?_ Then he knew. She was a miko. Mikos were japanese priestesses who fight darkness. She flew around the world for Ayumi. _I know, where she is!_ As fast as he could he let the wind carry him towards her. _Has she gone insane? There is no way, she can survive that plan!_

Thousands of miles away, Kiara flew faster than ever before on their flight around the world. Kagome had to nestle flat on her back, in order to not be blown off. She hid her face in the yellow fur so she could breath, despite the raging flight-wind. _**Benten-sama.**_ She prayed to one of the five luck kami in charge of good fortune. _**Be on my side. Only this one time.**_ She knew, the Guardians would take care of Ayumi, which made this easier.

Manhatten came in sight and Kiara hid their approach in the clouds.

(To be continued... )

Updating soon. Please review.


	6. Chapter 6: Shatters of Reflection

Thanks for the reviews. I have been going over the other chapters to correct them, but there will be no changes in the story itself, if somebody was wondering.

I don't own Inuyasha or The Rise of the Guardians.

_Text _= thinking english

_**Text**_= thinking japanese

"Text"= talking english

"**Text**"= talking japanese

Chapter 6: Shatters of Reflection

Kiara landed in Central Park amidst a small grove of trees which decked their arrival. Kagome jumped of her back, so the neko youkai could transform into her smaller, less attention drawing form. It was still dark. There were no people around. The miko looked up at the light-giving moon and pulled up the hood of her midnight blue jacket. Her eyes scanned the area, then came to rest on her bow. _They will be looking for a girl with a bow. ,_she thought. _But it is too risky to leave it behind. The __**sengoku jidai**__ was easier -no camaras, commen knowledge of the supernaturall._ She loved her home time, but life tended to get difficult when she was here.

Suddenly Kiara growled, transformed and pushed her behind a tree, before the girl could even blink. But before she could question her companion's behavior, something landed closely with a loud bang. Surprised, the miko reached for an arrow, but didn't draw it. A snow cloud, that the landing had swirled up, was all she could make out as she carefully peered past her tree. "I know you are there." a voice came out of it́s center.

Kagome relaxed and let go of her arrow. _It's Jack..._ she thought and took a deep breath, then froze up in shock. _It's Jack!_ Immediatly she jumped out of her hiding place. "Why are you following me?!"she shot. This was the last thing she needed. Kiara stood behind her unsure, with her head lowered close to the ground, ready to attack, if needed.

Jack inspected the area with a neutral expression and swung his staff lazily over a parkway. An ice-layer spread out over the path. "Why I'm following?" he repeated. "Really no reason." His icy blue eyes focused at her and she flinched at the anger in them."That you just ran off without a word while we are at war with Pitch is no reason!?"

The girl looked back determinated. _What is wrong with you?!_she scolded herself. _You fought thousands of youkai! You can stand up against Sesshumaru! You will not flinch because some boy is angry because you brought yourself in danger!_ "I really should have used the toilett-trick, hm?" she said slowly, ignoring that he did not like the sarcasm in her voice. "I'm sorry to have been worrying you. But you and your friends wouldn't have let me go, if I would have taken the time to say goodbye."

Now he was mad. What was she thinking? "Of course not!"he shouted back. "Pitch is looking for you! And when we are speaking of friends -yours is crying!"

Kagome flinched back and bit her lips. _Ayumi_ ... Yes, she had known, her actions would hurt the girl. But she also knew that this group, the Guardians, would take care of her and ... "Taking her with me would have been much worse." she told him stubbornly. "I'm not going somewhere safe."

Other than what she expected, when she looked back to him, all anger had fallen from his face and was replaced by understanding. "Listen, Kagome." he said and walked closer to her. "I know that. I know what you are planning. However, going after Pitch on your own is a very bad idea." He grinned self-consciously. "Believe me. I tried once and it didn't end well." His grin faded for a moment, before turning into a warm smile. "But that́s what friends are there for. So let's go back and kick Pitch's ass together. Everyone is waiting." He kept his smile in place, while he studied her. All kinds of emotions had been displayed in the miko's eyes, while he spoke. Each too fast to identify.

_How does he know that? _Kagome stared at the boy. The pulses of Shikon's aura went unnoticed, although normally she was very sensitive to them. _How does he know what I want to do._ Angry she shook her head, unconsciously stepping closer to Kiara. It wasn't her fight. "No, I can't go back..."she whispered, then looked up to him. "Now listen here: I don't know how you knew we would be flying back here, but don't dare to follow us any further! If you're worried ...about me fighting Pitch, I can calm you down. I'm not planning to."

"What?" Jack stared at her. "You are not-? But then why did you want to go back to Manhattan?! I thought you were planning to track Pitch down by going to the last place you have seen him!" He didn't realize that he was flying again. Her blue eyes were hollow. "That's true." she spoke. "I need to know where he lives. So I never go there."

"Are you kidding me?!" Jack shouted. Wind gathered around him."You are running away?! Hunting Sandi around the world is no problem, but as soon Pitch shows up, you run?!"_That doesn't make sense! What is wrong with her?!_

"Like a coward."she agreed. She hated herself for this. But she knew her place. Even if Shikon disagreed with her. War is a good teacher in such things. "It's better this way."

"Better?!" he got even madder. "It's better to be a coward?!What is that supposed to mean?! Do you even know what you are talking about?! There are millions of children out there! Pitch is after them! We must protect them! Is that so hard to understand?!"

"I know that."she said, reminding herself to stay calm. Her fist balled against her will. _He musn't know._ _This isn't my responsibility. _"You and your friends defeated him before, now didn't you? So you can do that again. You don't need my help." _Everyone will be safe! So get a grip on yourself! _She didńt look at him.

Kiara growled in warning, as the winter spirit came closer. "Which allows you to run off?! _You know_?! As if! If you knew, you wouldn't run! You would fight! We both know you can! But no! You have to run! Truth is, I don't think you even care!"

"Of course I care!" Kagome exploded. With tears in her eyes she spun around to him. "That is why I'm running! So you have even a chance of winning! Ím the reason Pitch became that strong!" Realizing what she just said, she clapped her hand over her mouth. _Oh no!_

Jack looked at her in shock. _She gave Pitch his strength?_ Silence settled between them. He watched her as she closed her eyes and shook her head. _It wasn't her choice, whatever she means._

_How could I be so careless._ Kagome was thinking to herself at the same time. _He must think now that I'm the enemy! _She readied herself for an attack. But when she looked at him, he was relaxed. The white haired boy studied her worriedly. "What do you mean?" he asked.

She turned away, so he couldn't see that he had unknowingly given her the rest. An attack she knew how to deal with. It was easy. This wasn't. Now he would start asking questions, which would lead to more questions that she wasn't allowed to answer. Even though her instinct told her to trust him. _If there is a prize for rotten in judgment, I guess I already won that._ ,she remembered. _History is repeating itself, isn' it?_ "Go back." she told the waiting boy. "Your friends are waiting."

"I know where Pitch's lair is."

The miko spun around to winter spirit. "He is stronger there than anywhere else." he explained. "That is why we don't go there. He would cage us and we would have to watch him take over the world." Then he smiled. He knew she wouldn't go anywhere, before he told her the location. And she knew that, too. She glazed at him because of that. Jack sat down and waited. Kiara looked back and forth between them. In the end, Kagome sat down across from him, but stayed quiet. There was a pause.

"I'm about a hundred years old." He told her, thinking of an stragety. If he wanted her to talk, he needed to win her trust. "The man in the moon created me."

It worked. He had cought her off-guard and gained her curiousity. "He created you?" the girl asked warily, despite the child-like glance in her eyes. It made Jack smile. "Yes, he did." he confirmed. "Sandi, North, everyone of us had once been human. Not that I knew that for some time. Anyway, I died long ago while saving my sister from falling in a frozen lake. The moon brought me back to life and gave me my... well, he made me, what you see now."

She looked up at the moon, then at him. "I always thought you were born at the same time as the winter." she mumbled thoughtful to herself, then asked carefully, "You didn't know?"

Now it was his turn to stare to the sky. He took his time to answer. "When I died, I lost my memory. The moon never told me more than my name and there weren't exactly many others to ask." Jack hesitated. "Last Easter, during the fight with Pitch, some of my memories returned. And kids believed in me, finally. Things are easier now..."

Kagome stared at him in shock. _Is he telling me nobody could ever see him?!_ Her thought raced. _That's impossible! Nobody can take that for so long!_ "I believed in you ever since I can remember!" she said. And immediatly got red and bit her lip.

The white haired boy blinked at the girl, then smiled thankfully. Her face turned an even darker red. Hesitating she took a deep breath and reached for the lock of her collar, which she unlocked with her ki. She had to give them the basic information. Maybe the Guardians needed it to defeat Pitch. Kagome looked at him. _Hopefully my feeling is right and I can trust him._ Shikon let his aura flare surprised, so she wapped her aura around the gem in a compforting gesture. "This is the Shikon no Tama."she said.

"It changes color, doesn't it?" he asked. His eyes were fixed on the gem, but it's guardian could only find curiosity in them. "You noticed?" she asked and nodded. "Yes, their color changes due to the status of the souls, that make it up. This is their normal color. When a dark aura is mixing with theirs, they're in pain and turn black. The pain is then transmitted in my body."

_Is that what happen during the fight? _Jack wondered. "Was that why you broke down after shooting that arrow? And why are their souls in a gem?"

"I am the guardian of the Shikon no Tama." the senshi-miko explained. "I was born with it in my body." She hung the necklace back around her neck. "It was created 1239 when the miko Midoriko tried to purify a powerfull kodoku youkai and accidentialy cursed their souls to be caged in this form forever."

Shock. The winter incarniation stared at the innocent looking gem. "They... can't get out?" he wanted to know. Kagome gave a sad smile. "That's why I take care of them." she confirmed. "They are defenseless." The gem gave an angry red glow. The two had to smile at the souls' attitude. "The curse also affects their surroundings." the miko continued. "It lures out the evil and makes it a hundred times stronger. Over the centuries it even become believed, they could fullfill every wish, but that is nonsense. Dangerous nonsense." She locked eyes with Jack. "It is believed this gem dissapeared five hundred years ago. And that is good so. If their existence is found out, there will be war again. And the penetrating media will bring it to a whole new level."

Jack nodded in understanding. He would keep this secret. _She fears war. No wonder she didn't trust us at first with this. I bet normally she trusts nobody._ "But I don't see how any of this affects Pitch's strength."

She shook her head helplessly. "I'm not sure yet, how it works, but I am certain, Pitch's strength is somehow connected to Shikon. In the year 1460, you Guardians defeated Pitch for the first time. In the same year Shikon went into the world of the dead with it's last guardian, Kikyou. It came back in our world as I was born, but I first found out, when Shikon awoke two days before Easter, when Pitch rose against you once more. That day, on my fifthteen birthday, I was kidnapped through a time portal and landed in the year 1510, where Shikon's curse strengthed due to a youkai war that broke out around it. At the same time you fought Pitch, before he dissapeared for fivehundred years. I passed tose fivehundred years, when I returned home with Shikon at the end of the war. And now Shikon is stronger than ever before, because the souls inside are now learning how to get around the curse and be able to do things, even when they are still caged. Bunnymund said, Pitch is stronger than ever before. Maybe getting Shikon farther away from him, can weaken him. That's why Ím running."

Jack thought over it, then shook his head. "Okay, the facts are strange." Jack agreed. "But you aren't the one giving Pitch strength. Nor is Shikon no Tama. The wars do." -"There was no war on my birthday and Pitch still got stronger."-"This is nonsense. How should that work? It must be a coincidence." -"Jack." Kagome said seriously. "Time travelers believe in many things, but not in coincidences."

They stared at each other, the tension thick with unsaid fears, arguments and opinions. The way she sat there was all too familiar to Jack. She was lonely and doubted everything. No words of comfort could change that in this situation, he knew.

Kagome was lost in memories as the snowball hit her. Shocked she looked up. Jack smiled at her mischievly and created the next snowball in his hand. "Jack, what are you-" and was hit straight in the face! Angrily the girl washed it off her face. _Now you pay._

Kiara watched with wide eyes as the two started a snowball fight. Blinking serveral times she transformed into her smaller form and sat down a safe distance away. A smile appeared at the youkai's face, as she declaired all inhabitants of this era for insane and watched the children play.

They lost track of time. Jack laughed out loud and Kagome couldn't help but notice how nice it sounded. He on the other side was relieved to discover, that the child-like glin was back in her eyes and shining through her very being. They played on until they forgot, why they had begun. Neither of them wanted to stop.

"What is going on here?" an angry shout came suddenly from above. North's sled flew above their heads and Bunnymund glazed over it's rim. The two stopped immeadiatly. Tooth appeared beside the bunny. "Oh, thank goodness! We found you!" she shouted. "Jack! Kagome! Pitch is attacking!"-"Where?" Jack asked at once, forgetting all at once to block the last incoming snowball. Ayumi came in view. "Kagome!" she shouted, her face in tears. "Pitch is in Tokyo!"

Hope you enjoyed. Till the next chapter, sweet dreams and watch out for yourselves in the dark. (Please review.)


	7. Chapter 7: Eclipse

Thanks for the review. First up there were questions:

1)**I passed tose fivehundred years, when I returned home with Shikon at the end of the war- I'm still not sure what you're trying to say in that one sentence... **Simply, Kagome is a time traveler, that traveled five hundred years in the past. When the Shikon war ended, she returned to her home time, thus "passed those five hundred years".

2)**...correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Jack about 300 years old, give or take?** Well, I don't know, how old Jack is. I just took a guess, can be that it is wrong. But wether it́s 100 or 300 years, it doesn't make a difference for this story. So if you don't like the 100, ignore it.

3) Why is Pitch attacking Tokyo? Ask me in three chapters again...

Anyway have fun with the new chapter.

"Text"=talking (Japanese since we're back in Japan)

_Text_ = Thinking (Japanese)

Chapter 7: Eclipse

Okuru Higurashi didn't leave the telephone's side. Not since yesterday's news of a terror attack in front of the hotel, Kagome had said she was staying in. Souta, who just came back in from the daily laps around the shrine ground -a training his sister had put up for him-, knew that for sure already. His mother, Kuloon, kept her mind occupied with work-intensive, but unnecessary household chores.

Souta wasn't worried. He knew his sister was strong. The Shinshitachi, Hakudoshi, the traitor Magatsuhi, and most important of all Naraku -she had survived them all. Even if she, Kiara and Ayumi had run into trouble, they would be fine. There was no doubt about that fact in his mind. _Did her mobil phone get broken? Why isn't she calling?_

"I'm going for a walk!" he called and left the family, heading toward the center of the city. His sister was safe. Period. A shadow on the ground made Souta stop and look up.

Columns of black sand shot across the sky and impacted in different parts of Tokyo. Screams could be heard. One column took direct course for Souta. In the last moment he managed to jump out of the way. The sand impacted, blasting a crater and sending him flying.

Breathing heavily, he stumbeled to his feet. People all around were screaming and running away. An inhuman cry made the boy spin around. Nightmares and monsters formed out of a giant ball of sand. The creatures chased after the fleeing masses.

"Souta-kun?" a voice called from behind him. Souta looked warily over his shoulder and saw two familiar teenage girls. Eri and Yuka were coming closer. "Are you alright?" Yuka asked worried. The twelve year old had no time to reply. A freshly formed nightmare's head abruptly turned towards her voice, but it's eyes focused first on the boy. _Oh shit!_ He thought and took a step back. It raced at him. He let himself drop flat on the ground. The demonic horse jumped over his head and through a street lamp.

The lamp feel over. Souta could barely roll out of the way. The glass shattered, but didn't hit him. He jumped to his feet. Chased by the nightmare, he ran towards the two confused and shocked girls. They seemed to have frozen instinctively. "Run!"the boy shouted. Neither girl moved. _What is wrong with them?_he questioned himself. Reaching them, he grabbed their wrists and pulled them with him. "I said: Run!"

An empty car crashed in the building in front of them. From the opposite street-side, a black dragon shot out of a side street. It roared and flew up a sky scaper side, crushing the glass below its deadly talons.

Souta pushed them on, only keeping them away from the falling glass by running down a different street. Seeing a movment out of the corner of his eye, he pulled the girls to the side and out of the aim of the nightmare. It turned a bit farther away and came back.

A growl. The boy spun around. A sand panther launched at them. Screaming Souta ripped his arms up. White light shot out of his hands. The panther fell to the ground in cloud of sand. Shocked the raven haired stared at his hands. _Did I ...?_

"Souta, wh-Ah!" Eri was half absorbed by the nightmare. "What ist this?!" she shouted. "Help!" Souta attacked the horse with bare hands immediatly. "Let her go!" he demanded. His hands disappeared in the sand. His reiki hadn't reacted. _Damn!_ "Yuka!" he shouted to the other girl, who was still free from the nightmare's grasp. "Get out of here!"

She didn't listen. Instead Yuka hung herself on the last visible parts of Eri, her out-stretched hands, and pulled her out with her weight. Both girls fell to the ground. The nightmare pulled Souta in. He struggled, but it was no use. "Run!" he shouted at the girls. "Don't let the sand creatures get you!"

They looked at him with blank horror. "Sand creatures?"Yuka asked in a high-pitched voice and looked around in wide-eyed panic. "What sand creatures?"- "What are you talking about? We can't see anything," Eri added with a seemly strong voice, despite her obvious fear.

Then everything turned black. Souta tried to move. The sand didn't bug. Suddenly he was in a gray landscape. A city. A destroyed city. His eyes widened when he recognized his home city. Buildings were brocken like after a bomb attack. As if caused by earth-quakes, the street were torn open. As he looked around, there were bodies everywhere. "Souta?" a voice groaned. Kagome was in front of him, leaning up against a destroyed car. She was bleeding out of every corner. Her arms and legs were twisted in unreal angles. "No..."Souta whispered. "No. No! NO!"

Light broke through the darkness. The horror-landscape and the black sand disapeared. Shocked he turned to the origin of the reiki, which he immediatly knew to be his sister's. She didn't stand far away from him, purifying the next monster with her arrow. "Kagome-nésan!" he shouted in relief. All at once, he felt like he could cry, he was so happy. _She is okay..._ Stunned, Kagome spun around to him. "Souta?"

A large man with a red jacket jumped behind him and took down an attacking group of nightmares with his swords. Souta stared at him for a moment, before he ran to his sister's side. "What are you doing here?!"she asked and angryly shot a strong arrow at the sand.

About ten children were freed, stumbling to the ground from the bursting cloud. "Get them over here!" Kagome told Souta, plainly not liking the idea herself. Immedialy he ran to herd them together. His sister was there, so there was no reason for him to be afraid. Surprised, he noticed, that the sand, that touched him, turned into non-agressive, golden sand. The children had gone from shock to panic, when he reached them.

A hourd of nightmares came from above,and were instantly frozen to ice. A white-haired boy and a fairy appeared beside them in the air. "North!" the fairy called. "There are too many!" Golden sand shot forth and a small man broke through a black wall, followed by Kiara and Ayumi. They had three children with them.

Kagome, who suddenly stood beside Souta and the white-haired boy, shouted: "Where is Bunnymund?! Wereńt you together?!" -"We got seperated!" Ayumi shouted back, while the sandman kept the monsters at bay. "Ah!" A dragon had broken through his defences, but the fairy cut it down with a lash of her wings before it could reach the screaming children.

"Tooth!" Kagome shot a nightmare, that ambushed the fairy from behind. Meanwhile a wave of sand attacked her and the children from the other side. The white-haired froze it over. "Thanks, Jack." the miko said and countered the next attack from the left.

Jack froze another assault from the right. "Pitch has recovered from your arrow completely." he said grimly. They stood their ground, back on back as they continued defending the children. Souta looked at the spirit confused. "Back then he had been only surprised." his sister repelled. "My arrow did not even scratch him!"

Souta looked around unsure. The black sand was drawing closer. Suddenly two bumarangs cut through the sand. "There you are!" A bunny came through the new opening and cought his coming back weapons. He and a girl with a katana fought back the angry nightmare, that turned to them.

"Eri?" Ayumi called shocked. "Is that you?" The swordfighter looked up baffled. "Ayumi?! Kagome?!" -"What?!" another girl's voice announced Yuka's appearence in the passage. She had a baby on her arm. "What are you doing here?" -"Don't let your guard down!" Kagome warned, but to late. A sand panther cut Eri's arm open. Angry, Bunnymund took it down.

Suddenly all sand took off in the sky. Jack chased after them. "Stay with Bunymund and Eri!" Kagome advised Souta, jumped on Kiara's back and was on his heel. Souta led the children to the easter bunny and the girl.

"Uhm.." Bunnymund stared after them. "Why is Pitch fleeing?" North's eyes were pained, as they looked from the children to the sky. "He has, what he came for." -"Not with me!" Tooth shouted and shot in the sky.

There, Jack froze a giant column of sand, as he cought up with it. Kiara and Tooth stared breaking it open at once, to get to the children, that were possible inside it. Meanwhile, Kagome climbed off her companian's back and up the column. Getting on one level with Jack, who was already counterattacking the nightmares already. She stood on an ice-shelf and started aiding him, thankfull for the refill-kitsune-spell on her quiterer.

Understandingly, they exchanged a glance and the winterspirit nodded at her. His attacks chased the nightmares in her direction, and her purifying arrows then chased them back to him, catching them in a deadly back-and-forth. Below, Sandi and North caught the children as they fell, suddenly released from the sand monsters, in the sled or on sand clouds. On the ground Bunnymund and Eri fought off the monsters, which had returned to get the children around Souta.

A sand wave hit Jack in the back. Catapulted forward, he hit the column under Kagome. She lost her grip on her icy ledge, and fell down on the boy. The impact sent both tumbling from their high stand on the column of sand. He caught them before they hit ground beside Tooth and Kiara. As they looked up, the black sand was gone.

"He's gone." the white-haired boy stated, as he held the raven-haired girl closer. The words left a bitter aftertaste.

Please review. Ask, if there are any questions left.


	8. Chapter 8: Echo

Thanks for the review. If anyone else of the InuYasha cast will be in this, I can't tell or the story would be ruined. So that was a non-answerable question. Anyway, to shorten the wait, here's the next chapter. I don't own InuYasha or Rise of the Guardians.

Chapter 8: Echo

"Kagome, I'm serious." Eri scolded. "I want to know, what is going on!" She sat on the bed in the miko's room, her katana sheathed besides her. The miko sat beside her and tended to the wound on her arm. Souta kneeled beside them on the ground in front of the first-aid-kit and handed his sister a disinfecting spray. Kiara sat in her small form on his shoulder. Yuka had occupied the desk chair, while Ayumi sat on the desk itself.

"I told you." Kagome responded without looking up. "The boogie man Pitch is aiming for world dominance." Her friend hissed as she disinfected her wound. It wasn't deep and would not need stitches. But the cut was long. From Eri's shoulder blade well down her forearm. Luckily it had stopped bleeding. Kagome knew from experience, that such a wound wouldn't leave a scar.

"That is not what I meant!" the short-haired teen argued. "We believed that the first time you said that. We do believe in this Pitch and saw what happened!" Ayumi's soft voice interrupted her. "How come, by the way?" she wanted to know. "I know, you have never believed in the supernatural before and I remember you laughing at me, when I told you about two months ago, that Sandi saved my life. So why did it change all of sudden.."

The comment let all in the room except Kagome, who continued cleaning Eri's arm as she listened intently, freeze. Souta looked at the two questioned girls curiously. What had happened after he had been cought? Back then they hadn't been able to see Pitch's minions.

Yuka looked at Ayumi apologetically. "We're truely sorry for not believing you from the start."she said and Eri nodded agreedly. "We had no idea. In a way, I guess, we have to thank the boggie man. We most likely wouldn't believe now either, but after being nearly absorbed by something invisible and seeing Souta disapear in thin air, we started to recall all those crazy fairy tales Kagome's ojii-san always came up with." -"We flew to the school library." Eri continued. "Souta-kun said, that those _things,_ that attacked us, were sand-creatures. So we researched everything about sand-using, supernatural beings and took it serious. And under the books was one legend of the sandman and the boggie man." -"And after what Ayumi said back then, well, we now believe it." -"And then there were suddenly a nightmare between the book pages and we had to flee. On the way past the Kendo-Clubroom, I picked up my katana, so we had some sort of defence. We then met Bunnymund on the run." Eri took a deep breath and smiled a little, then became serious. "But that doesn't explain, why Kiara can change form. Or your or Souta's powers."

"What?" Kagome looked up surprised and turned to her brother. "What is she talking about? Did your reiki awake?" -"It seems so..." Souta admitted nervously. "But I could only use it once. I tried to attack a nightmare and it didn't work." She gave an understanding nod. "It's new to you, so that's normal. No one can controll it without practice. And in the beginning you will need a weapon to channel your reiki." She signaled him to give her the bandages. "When this all is over, you'll go through training."

The boy nodded and handed her the bandages. "Um, is that all?" he asked. "I, um, need to call some people." Though he was afraid to, he needed to call all his friends and make sure they were fine. His sister nodded in understanding and he left the room. To his surprise, Bunnymund and Jack were still waiting in front of Kagome's door.

The two weren't allowed in, as Eri had to take her shirt off to get her wound tended. The bunny's hand twitched under his crossed arms and his eyes never left the door, as he leaned against the wall. Jack, who sat across from him, nodded at Souta, as he passed by, his eyes just as worried. "Anything new?" he asked, as he made room for the boy to pass.

"Eri-san will be fine, Kagome says." Souta answered. "She will have to rest her arm for a while, but there will be no scar, once it's healed." Jack nodded in understanding. "I still don't understand, why we didn't bring her to the hospital." Bunnymund grumbled. "Isn't that what humans usually do?" -"After what happened, the hospitals will be overfilled." the twelve year old gave to think. "And oné-san can beat most doctors, when it comes to curing battle wounds."

"How should she know how to treat battle wounds?" Bunnymund demanded to know. Jack shot him a glare. "She just knows." he said. "So trust her." Souta stared at him. Did Kagome tell him about her travels? The way he stared at the door, screamed that the winterspirit did know something. _I wonder, what had happpen between them for her to trust him like this. _Souta thought as he went downstairs.

Through a window he could see his grandfather on the shrine grounds. The old priest answered the questions of two police officiers, that came to pick up the children, 'the Higurashi had found in the city'.

In the living room, KuLoon presented cold drinks to her guest with an unmoving face. North, Tooth and Sandy sat on the couch. They had played with the children to chase the shadows of the nightmares, on both sides, away. Now, the children were outside with Okuru and the Guardians' minds had to confront themselves with the facts. They could feel their powers shrinking while Pitch's grew.

Souta started to call each of his friends. His grandfather came in, when he was halfway through. Okuru went upstairs to tell the 'officially not present' girls that the police left. He returned to the living room with them and the two spirits. Eri wore one of Kagome's long-sleeved shirts over the bandages.

Ayumi sat down in the free place beside Sandy, which earned her a smile. Eri, Bunnymund and Yuka took seat at the dinner table in the same room. Kagome and Jack settled on the window bench. Okuru turned the tv on and switched through the channels, as he sat in the arm chair.

While he made his last call, Souta paled on the phone. He thanked for the information and hung up slowly. "One`-san ..." he turned to his sister. "Ginta is missing." The boy was in his soccer team and one of his best friends.

Kagome took the information in with pained eyes. When she patted the seat between her and Jack, Souta followed her request. She hugged him softly. "Don't worry." she told him in a comforting voice. "It's okay. We are going to get him back." But the truth was, she had no idea, how.

Jack's eyes lingered on her till she looked up. His eyes were full of concern and understanding. _I'm here with you._,he promised her in his thoughts. _We are going to stand through this._ She nodded and gave a slight smile.

"Around 2 p.m. today, a terrorist attack wrought havic in our capitol city, Tokyo." came from the television as Okuru stopped at a news channel. The reporter stood in a devastated street. "Several cars seem to have been catapulted through the city by an unknown, invisible and soundless explosion. While elsewhere buildings were undamaged, all windows were shattered within Midtown Tokyo from this incredible source. Street lamps and traffic signs have fallen over without warning. All together twelve small impact crators have been sighted, but there seems to be no witnesses as to what has struck the city. Hospitals are now overfilled with dozens of injured, who were victims hit by the cars slamming back to earth or from the deadly glass rain. Doctors can no longer treat all the wounded. Even more people, the majority of them reportedly children, are missing. What caused all of this, is unclear and can only be speculated. We see here military tanks and soldiers coming into and patrolling the area in order to try to provide some kind of security and bring back some order in the chaos that has been left behind. The emperor has condemned this attack as an act of evil and warned the perpetrators, that Japan will not stay inactive upon this. According to newest information, a smaller scale of the same weapon might have been used in Manhatten, NewYork, yesturday morning. The United States has promised their cooperation in the investigation of this disaster. Meanwhile a counties around the globe have started up-grading their defcon levels to the highest rating. We have just received word that North-Korea accused South-Korea to stand behind this crime. This-"

Kuloon left the room and Okuru turned the television off. "This is bad." he said solemnly."The nervosity due to this, for the population inexplicible incident, will make one country pull the trigger sooner or later." North assented. "The dark age has started. Pitch has reached his goal. I can't accept that!" He started to stride through the room aimlessly.

Eri looked at him. "So we fight." -"We?" Bunnymund asked unbelieving. "What's here 'we'? There is no way you can come with us." -"Nonsense! Of course we come with you guys!" -"You would only stand in the way!" -"Hey! I saved your ass out there!" -"And I saved yours at least twenty times!"

While they continued their argument, Nord's eyes settled on Jack, Souta and Kagome. He gave a smile. "It is good to see things like this in times like this." he told them.

"What are you talking about?" the winterspirit asked confused. The miko was also irritated. Souta and Kiara exchanged knowing glances across the room. He might not know, how it happened, but it was really plain to see. Instead of North answering, Okuru joined them with the words: "About that, I would like to talk with you, young man."

Before Jack or even Kagome could figure out, what they meant by their comments, Tooth turned to them. "Jack, I'm afraid you have to lead us there." she said seriously. "To Pitch's lair, I mean. You have been there once before, after all."

Jack nodded, his lips in a thin line. "What?!" Bunnymund spun around to them. "You're insane! If we go in there, we won't get out!" Sand shot towards him and halted mere centimeters in front of his face, before shaping a child. The bunny nodded somberly at Sandi, being reminded of the wide-reaching importance of their mission . "I know." he sighed and the sand withdrew.

"We need more weapons." Yuka joined in. Kagome exploded at her: "You are not coming with us!" -"She's right."Jack agreed. "It's much to dangerous for you. We won't be able to watch out for you." -"And you have no experience what so ever!" Kagome added. "So don't even think about it!" -"We are your friends, Kagome!" Eri interruped. The miko nodded. "That is my point, E-!"

KuLoon screamed outside the house.

To be continued...

Please review. Oh, I watched the Rise of the Guardians-Movie again. And Jack is 300 years old. Had been a while since it was in the cinemas, so I hadn't known anymore. But it still makes no difference.

Till next time.


	9. Chapter 9: Failing Innocence

I'm back. Sorry for the wait. Thanks for the reviews. Please enjoy.

-ooo-

Chapter 9: Failing Innocence

Immediately everyone ran out of the back door, leaded by Kagome and Okuru. The back yard was empty. "Oka-san!" Souta called for the siblings' mother. Kagome clapped her hand over his mouth and shook her head.

There was no sound. No answer, but also no wind or moving leafs. She pulled her little brother behind her. It was a good thing she had left her bow and quierer downstairs, for which she could pick it up on the run outside. Jack exchanged a glace with the miko, as both got in fighting stages.

"You should go back into the house, girly." Bunnymund whispered to Eri and stood next to her. "Worry about your own ass, sweetie.", she whispered back and drew her katana, which she had kept with her the whole time. "Oh, stop fighting already.",Ayumi said under her breath, as she stayed close to Sandi and North with Yuka.

"Come out and show yourself!", barged Okuru."I'll teach you attacking my family!" -"Ojii-san...",Souta said slowly. "You have no powers." The old man sweetdropped. Jack stood in front of him. "We're getting her back.", he insured. Kagome gave him a thankful smile.

The sand seemed to appear out of no where. The miko tried to shout, but was caught off guard by a wave coming from the left. Black sand surrounded her, but then she felt cold sweeping through her. She was thrown out.

A few meters away she landed on her knees. Her bow was gone. As she looked behind herself, she saw a frozen column of sand. "Kagome!", Jack called from the other side paniced. "Kagome! Answer me! Kagome!"

"I'm fine." ,she called back. But as soon as the words left her lips, pain hit her. Screaming without a sound coming out, she collapsed. _Shikon ...!_ The gem around her neck was black. Helplessly she had to what as a dome out nightmare sand formed around her. Shikon's fear doppeled hers.

"Hallo, little girl." Pitch's voice made her look up in hatred and disgust at the incarnination of fear, but the pain pinned her to the ground. It was worse then the last time. How could he grow even stronger?

Pitch smiled, when she coughed up blood. "I see I still have the same effect on my old friends." he concluded. His smirk widened upon her dead stare. "Don't be like that now. We are really friends, Shikon and I."

"Liar!", she spat weakly. "Why did you attack Tokyo?" He smiled. "Your very own fault, really.", the spirit explained. "You and your protector-trip. I have known, you would realize Shikon's connection to my powers. However ...I also knew, you would be foolish enough, to believe distance could change a thing." A loud laugh escaped his lips. "What a naive illusion! Don't you agree?!" He quieted down a little. "But Shikon betrayed me once and I want revenge. So letting them hide with you was no option. Really sorry."

"You wanted to lure me out!", Kagome understood. Pitch Shikon off her necklace. Her body exploded in pain and she blacked out. "I needed some children for my actual plan anyway.", he said as he stood grinning over her and inspected the gem. "Just killing two birds with one stone." He thought a moment, then looked at the girl. "Shall we make it four birds, little one?"

-ooo-

Jack picked on the dome like mad. While the black sand already flew the scene, he tried to break through the ice with his staff. "Kagome!",he called again, but no answer followed. He could only hope she would still be in there.

"Use this!",said the suddenly beside Jack appearing Okuru and put two suntras like a cross on the ice. "Your suntas have no power.",Souta told his grandfather in the back ground. The winter spirit didn't care, just hit the center of the cross. The ice below shattered, creating a large, round opening. Souta grasped and Okuru explained: "You just have to know how to use them. They're more like transmitters." -"Then you tought us to use them the wrong way." The priest sweetdropped.

Ignoring them, Jack flew in the dome at once. Kagome lay in the middle of the dom. "Kagome!" He picked her up carefully. She was unconscious, but he couldn't make any wounds out. Picking her bow up from beside her, he flew her out of the dome to her bedroom.

Softly he rested the girl on the bed and tugged her under the covers. Souta came running in the room. "Where is that herb of hers?",Jack asked him. "Au -Aoi no miko?" -"Ai no miko?" ,Souta offered and took the medicine out of his sister's pack. "Is she hurt? Or is it because of Shikon? Because if it is the latter, this won't help. Not as long the gem isn't purified."

The spirit stared at him for a moment, then looked down at Kagome's collar. His eyes widen. "It's gone ..." The small chain on the collar was broken. Shikon was gone. "Pitch has the Shikon no Tama!"

"Shikon - what?!" Bunnymund stood in the door, his face between shock, anger, concern and confusion. Everyone else stood behind him. Okuru sighed. "Take care of Kagome, Souta.",he said, then turned to the others. "Follow me downstairs. I'll explain everything."

While the priest explained everything and answered questions downstairs, Souta and Jack took care of Kagome. There wasn't much they could do. They kept her comfortable and made her drink a lot. Because the miasma had turned the skin around the scar on her side black, they had to resolve into cutting the scar open and giving her Ai-no-miko after all. But the effects didn't last long.

"I could have stopped this from happening.",Souta mumbled hours later. He sat on the chair and pulled his knees close. "When I had been caught, I had seen a near dead Kagome. It had been a warning. And I didn't tell one`-san."

"No, it wasn't your fault.",Jack shook his head. "There was nothing you could have done." But he could have. Should have. He had not watched out for her one second and now ... It was his fault, Kagome lay here in bed, unable to heal. Trying to keep a neutral face for Souta's sake, he tugged her in the blanket.

"You love her, don't you?" ,the boy brought up. Jack nearly jumped out of his skin. "What?!" But the twelve year old had a serious face. "Do you love her?" -"I ..." First Jack wanted to deny it, but something stopped him and that confused him.

"I'm going to get more water for her.",the other boy decided to leave him with his thoughts. The white-haired pulled the chair close to the bed and sat down. What stopped him? There was no way he could be in love. No, no way. He barely knew her.

On the other side, Kagome was beautiful. And strong. She hadn't lost that spark, that childish spark in her eyes, even after all she had been through and burdened herself with. Others came always first for her, she cared for everyone and he admired that on her. He wouldn't deny either that she made damm good snowballs. And ... he was not in love with her. She was a good -a great friend. That's it. He shook his head and focused on Kagome's face.

He grapsed and joy rushed through him. Her ocean blue eyes were open. "Kagome ..." Jack moved to sit beside her on the bed. His hand touched her cheek lightly. "Hey there ... How do you feel?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Kagome's eyes focused at him. The winter spirit became serious at once. They were hollow. Like back when she told him, she had nothing to do with the fight with Pitch. "What's wrong?",he asked warily. Those eyes meant no good.

She hit his face, sending him flying. Shocked, Jack caught himself and watched the miko jump out of her bed and reach for her bow. "What are you doing?!",Jack shouted. Kagome looked him dead in the eye as she took an arrow and aimed at him.

"What are you shouting about, Jack?!" Souta ripped the door open. The arrow bored into the door, just above the twelve year old's head. He paled visibly and stared at his sister with unbelieving eyes. "K-kagome?"

Seeing that she put her quierer on, Jack flew in front of him. "Get out!",he told the boy, then turned to the raven haired girl. "Kagome! Get a grip on yourself! I don't know, what has gotten into you, but we are your friends! So stop attacking us!"

Her hands shook as she aimed at him again. What was going on? This wasn't like her. Suddenly Souta grasped. "Jack! Pitch is controlling her over the Shikon no Tama!" -"What?!" Shooting past his face, an arrow hit the wall in the hall. Jack sprinted for his staff and send a wind wave against her.

Kagome purified the window and jumped out before the wind could reach her. Her brother strangled Jack's arm to stop him from attacking again. "I said she is controlled!" -"I didn't meant to hurt her! I just wanted to knock her bow out of her hand!"

Okuru came rushing in the room. "What's going on?" He looked around the room frankly. "Where is Kagome?" Tooth, Sandi and Ayumi came up from behind. "Pitch is controlling her!",Souta explained, while Jack flew to the window and looked around searching.

"What?!" Tooth flew back a bit. "That can't be!" -"It happened before ...",the priest struggled for words. "When Naraku hired Tsubaki to use the bond between Shikon and Kagome and curse her, she could barely fight it off ... And after she completed Shikon, the bond became even stronger ..." Tears gathered in his eyes when he looked at the arrow in the door. "We've lost her ..."

"No! We didn't!" Jack spun around angry. "She didn't use her reiki! That means she is still awake in there! Pitch isn't controlling all of her! We have to save her!" He flew out the window into the shrine grounds. She was here somewhere. He could feel it. "Kagome!"

A ball of light shot at him. He dodged it by letting himself drop to the ground. It came from the big tree! Racing towards it, he dodged the slowly stronger becoming arrows. _His hold must become stronger! We're running out of time!_

Kagome sat in Goshinboku's branches and screamed at her body to stop, but it didn't listen. The pain transmitted by Shikon made her unable to connect with her body. "Kill Jack Frost!" Pitch's voice hissed in her head. "Kill him! Kill Jack Frost! Kill them all!"

Jack came closer. She wanted to scream at him, too. To run away, to stay away from her. Her lips didn't move. Why was he coming closer when she attacked him? Pitch tighten his grip around her soul. Slowly she was losing control of her reiki. More and more fussed with her arrows. _Stop it! Stop it!_ Forcefully she withdraw her reiki. The arrow hit Jack's arm. _No!_ All control slipped away.

The winter spirit winced in pain, but didn't stop. Bunnymund appeared below him and pulled down in one of his tunnels. "Let me go!",Jack growled.

"Don't be stupid, Frostbite!",the bunny growled back. "She is no herself. Brude strenght won't bring us anything!" He opened a way up. They got out next to North and his sledge.

The Guardian nodded at him. "That wound looks bad.",he sad. Jack shook his head. Behind the sledge, Kagome shot arrows at Tooth, Eri, Ayumi and Yuka. The four hide behind a little shrine house.

Suddenly Sandi came up from behind the tree and covered it -and with that Kagome- with a thick layer of his sand. The miko fell unconscious out of the tree. Jack shot forward and caught her. His arm exploded in pain, but he didn't care.

A small golden snowflake danced above Kagome's head. Jack smiled and relaxed. "Is she okay now?", Ayumi asked and came carefully closer. Bunnymund held Eri back from doing the same.

"We don't know that. If she wakes up, will she attack us a-?" His eyes widen and everyone followed his glace. The snowflake turned black. North gasped. Immediately Bunnymund pushed the other human girls down a hole, that closed directly after them. Sandi tried to keep the dream from turning by adding new sand, while Jack tried to wake Kagome up. Neither worked.

"It can't be helped!" North said and drew his swords. "Let it go, Sandi." As soon as the sand supplies stopped, the nightmare disconnected from the miko and attacked Tooth. She dodged and counterattacked. Bunnymund and North joined her.

Jack spun around to Kagome just in time to avoid her glowing hands by jumping backwards. Her eyes were hollow again. _How am i supposed to get her back?_ As he kept dodging her attacks, he realized, how her reiki would rather faint, whenever it came close to him. _She is holding back. Kagome must still be awake in there._ The girl was unbelievable. Even controlled she still tried to protect everyone.

Even controlled she tried to protect everyone! "Please forgive me.",he whispered and throw his staff away, standing still in place.

Kagome grabbed him on the shoulders. Her reiki burned like hell and he had to bite back a scream. The arrow doppled the pain in his left arm. In his fogged mind he reached forward and hugged, the pain growing stronger. _Kagome!_

_No! No! Stop it! Stop it! _Kagome screamed in her head. _Please stop it! Please no... please, please, please!_ Her body was purifying Jack. She couldn't hurt Jack! _No. No! NO! STOP!_

Her reiki expended in a ball of blue light around them. It started to snow. Reiki and snow both attacked the nightmare, closing it in a cocoon. The remaining Guardians looked up in shock.

Snow and light soften slowly, moving steadily around the slowly fading light ball, that inclosed Jack and Kagome. He was hugging her caringly and stroked her hair in a comforting gesture. She held on to him for her dear life and cried on his shoulder. Arrow and wounds had disappeared.

Tooth glanced to the cocoon around the nightmare, which opened to reveal golden dream sand. Amazement filled her as she looked back to the young couple.

-ooo-

Pitch laughed loud in his lair. "This is good." he told Shikon, who rested helpless on a small column. "Kagome -the never-will-betrayl-you-Kagome cut the bond between you two in order to save Jack Frost, who she met only two days ago! Leaving you all alone for eternity. How sweet!" He grinned on the gem. "Tell me, how does that taste? No, what I planned, but... I told you from the start, old friend."

-ooo-

So that was the ninth chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. Please don't kill me. Till next time.


End file.
